Babysitting in the Boondocks
by SweetlySpicey
Summary: Has Grandad finally found a sitter who can handle the boys? And why does she talk like a Katrina refugee? Contains OC I'M SO ASSHAME!
1. Another teenager?

I tried to make this story as real as possible. Everything Rosaline does, I have had to do or do regularly cos its just what i do. That inclueds the punishments and such.

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Riley and Huey grumbled under their breaths as they watched their grandfather finish dragging his luggage down stairs. They were rather distraught with the fact he was leaving for yet another vacation. It just wasn't very fair. Sure, it was only for a weekend, but they didn't want to be babysat. Huey was mor worried things would happen like last time and they would nearly end up killing each other.

"Now, boys," Their grandad started, heaving a groan as he lifted the bag down the last step, "The young lady I asked to watch y'all aint like tha ones ya had b'fo! Oh no! Aint gon be no messn' round with this one, nu uh!"

"_Young lady_?" Riley's lips smacked, "Aw Grandad, you got _another _teenager?"

"She's eighteen and from a very big family," He replied sternly, "She been 'round the block befo'. She know how ya lil hooligans act,"

Huey rolled his eyes, "Grandad, no white girl's gonna know how to handle Riley... or me for that matter. Ya know, just incase I get tired with my book"

"Well for your informatio-" before Grandad could finish, the door bell chimed, cutting him off mid sentance. He smiled and waltzed over to the door very proudly. Both Huey and Riley dashed over to the hall entrance and poked their little faces around the corner to get a glimpse of the young woman who would be staying with them for three days. Huey felt his breath escape his throat when the door swung open to reveal someone he absolutely did not expect.

She was tan from head to toe, not to mention quite... busty, but not fat. She had wavy dark brown hair that tied up into a ponytail, the strands curling into ringlets at the bottom. Her eyes were nearly black and she spoke with the slightest tinge of an accent when she said, "Hello Mr. Freeman, I'm Rosalina,"

"Girl mixed or suntin?" Riley asked a bit louder than he meant to. Huey nudged him, but before he could insult his younger brother he noticed the girl along with his grandad staring their way.

"Actually, I'm spanish," She smiled casually, shrugging her shoulders and sliding her hand down the strap of her bag, "But I'm also half french so... I guess I _am _kinda mixed,"

She was dressed very casually. Her shirt was blue striped with a white tank under shirt. She wore kahki pants and converses on her feet. Around her wrist was a silver band, like a medical bracelette only metal. She had a large letter carrier bag with a strap running over her chest and resting at her hip. On her back was a black back pack that looked very, very overstuffed.

"Come in, come in," Grandad exclaimed. Rosalina took his advice and walked inside the lovely two story home. She gasped in awe and smiled sheepishly.

"This is a gorgeous home!" She exclaimed turning half on her hips to glance back at the Freemen men, "My family would die if they could see this place,"

"Uh... yes, well... why don't I show you around?" Grandad offered, setting her two bags down and taking her across the hall and into the kitchen. Huey looked at Riley and nodded his head once firmly. Riley smirked and pulled out his pellet gun, taking aim and clicking it on.

"Better nip this one in tha bud," He snickered and fired. The pellet zoomed passed her face, making her hair "fwoosh over her cheek. Stepping to the side she took out a pellet hand gun and fired it. The red pellet slammed hard into Riley's stomach . She smirked and lifted the fake hand gun paralell to her face.

"SONOFA--!!" Riley shouted, falling over. Huey looked down at his brother and then up at his new baby sitter and a very stern looking grandad, who's face actually turned into one of a very pleased, wicked minded old man. He may have found a baby sitter who'd last for a few hours. Maybe.

"This is gonna be a fun weekend," Huey muttered, glaring at the girl as he made his way up the stairs.

"A blast," She smiled.

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yes, i have had to use a pellet gun on a kid before... but only cos he shot me first and his parents mentioned he had a problem with shooting them (and other people) alot

he doesnt shoot them at people anymore


	2. Cut off crust and goodnight kisses

I tried to make this story as real as possible. Everything Rosaline does, I have had to do or do regularly cos its just what i do. That inclueds the punishments and such.

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"Boys! Supper time!" The southern accented young woman called from down the stairs. She paused as she waited for a reply, not receiving a single one, she tipped back her neck, only to gain some force so she could shout louder, "Boys! Supper is on the table!"

"We're not Hungry!" Riley barked from his bed. Huey was on the computer typing away.

"If you don't eat what I cook, you don't get to eat anything for the rest of the night!" She warned loudly. Huey stopped typing and side glanced at his brother. Riley felt his stomach growl and he just shrugged.

"She jus' tryn' ta get us to eat her nasty food," Riley smacked, "She aint gon' do nuthn!"

There was a pause, in that time, Huey's stomach let out its own growl. He looked at his hard headed younger brother and then at the door. The both of them had skipped lunch... seeing as it was tuna day at school. Could they really make it to breakfast the next morning if she wasn't bluffing? Hmmm

Meanwhile Rozalina was patiently waiting in her same spot, her foot tapping steadily as she waited. She hadn't been waiting for too long before a brown fuzzy head poked it's way out the bedroom, looking down at the latina southerner.

"Uh... Whatsya made ta eat?"

She smiled.

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"For Riley I have a bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich with extra mayo and cheddar cheese. Crust cut off," Rozalina boasted proudly setting the plate down in front of the younger Freeman brother. Riley's tongue nearly fell out of his mouth as he looked down at the very large bread covered dinner before him. Huey scoffed and turned his head away.

Great. Another swine eater. Blagh. Might as well just go back upstairs and live with the hunger for the rest of the evening.

"Sucka," Riley snickered.

"And for Huey," She continued, setting down a very green plate, "Boiled chicken breast, no skin, and a tossed asian salad with extra virgin olive oil,"

Huey and Riley looked at each other in amazement and then back at the young girl who sat herself down with her own plate of food, "And for me, one yummy roasted fish,"

The boys blinked at the one little scrawny looking peice of...fish on her plate. They looked at eachother but instead of asking about it, Riley started shoveling his sanwich into his mouth as fast as he could. Huey carefully watched as she made a very similar gesture he had recalled his mother making that involved touching her head, then her stomach and then both her shoulders, left, then right, with her right hand before placing them down at her lap.

"Ya aint got too much to eat there," Huey pointed out casually, not yet touching his food, "You on one of those crash diets?"

Her chocolate eyes popped open in surprise by his curtness, "What? Oh goodness, no," She laughed, cutting the meat with her fork, "I'm Catholic and today is the third Friday of lent. I can't eat meat, and the meals I do eat today have to be very small portions,"

"Uh... So fish isn't an animal anymore?" Huey questioned, his eyebrow raising.

She chuckled, placing a peice of fish into her mouth, "Aw no, _Shah_, ya see, back when the lenton season first became a practice; the rich and powerful people only ate the typical meats. Chicken, beef, goat, lamb... excetera. Anyway, the poor folk could only afford fish because most of them were fishermen," She explained casually and watched as he took his first bite of lettuce, "The lenton season is a time of equality. So every friday the rich and the poor become equal and are refused the expensive meats,"

"But seafood is horribley expensive," Huey pointed out, "Not really all about equality anymore, now is it?"

"Well, now it's more of a time of sacrifice," She continued, "Plus, I like traditions,"

Huey accepted her little lesson for what it was and took a small bite of his chicken. It was good. Really good.

"Shoot! Grandad neva does this!" Riley said with a big wod of food in his mouth, "Normally if someb'dy dun like it he jus' tells us ta get ova it. This is tite,"

Rozalina smiled, "Well, children can be picky about their food...I'd hate to make yall go hungry,"

Huey scoffed at the word "children" and continued taking small nibbles of his food. He wasn't about to argue but was still annoyed with how she just pegged him as some typical child. No way she could think he was as immature like any of her _other _past jobs.

He was popped out of his thoughts with the sound of the doorbell ringing. Huey jumped up, "That must be Caesar,"

"Huey, if you don't finish your supper you don't get dessert,"

"what?"

"What's good, Freemans!?" a very happy voice rang out. Caesar was soon made visible as he waltzed into the kitchen, his eyes popped wide open as he stood there in pure shock of the girl sitting at the kitchen table, "Woah! Who's that!?"

"Our babysitter," Huey muttered with the darkest malice he could muster. The thought of being babysat was so... well... humiliating.

"J-Lo is your baby sitter!?" Caesar exclaimed, obviously love struck, "Can I stay the night!? Please, man!"

Huey looked worried. He slammed a hand over Caesar's mouth and gave him a dirty look, "Caesar! Not all latinos look alike, ya know?! How racist are you?!"

Huey had expected anger to flare from the young woman at the table, but instead of hurt filled barks, Rozalina cackled, almost spitting out her drink. Her laughter rang out through the house hold. Caesar looked a little embarressed but Huey just looked puzzled. Why wasn't she infuriated with being classified like that?

"Oh...no, I'm not Jennifer Lopez," She smiled, her laughter dying down, "Don't feel too bad. We've all got big butts. You can stay the night if it's okay with your parents, that is if you're not too disapointed,"

"Th-thanks," Caesar managed, scratching the back of his head and biting his lip, "Uh... Should I go get my sleeping bag...or..."

"Well, why don't you stay for supper?" Rozalina suggested, "I think there's some left over stuff on the stove. Just pick whatever you'd like,"

Caesar couldn't help but smile as he went over to the stove to get himself some dinner. Huey didn't say a word, just sat down at his seat and tried to finish up the rest of his dinner. No matter how much he tried to deny how good it tasted, he just couldn't stop putting the food into his mouth.

"If you come over for dinner tomorrow just tell me what you like, kay?"

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"Dag! Your sitter is HOT!" Caesar moaned, "I mean... shoot! She's like... ya know!?"

"Aw man, I know it!" Riley agreed, rolling over in his bed, "Didja see ma samich!? It was like... seriously crazy, man! She een cut da crust off! I got to eat what I wanted widout hearin Huey bitch the whole time,"

"That's pretty awesome," Caesar whistled, "Where she from?"

"I dunno," Huey admitted, "She looks pretty authentic latino... but she talks like she's from Louisiana. She called me _'shah' _like cousin Jericho and the others from New Orleans,"

"Uh oh," Riley snapped, "Ya mean she's a 'trina victim! Does Grandad know!? What she doin here!?"

"Well... she's one HAWT katrina victim,"

"I heard dat!"

"She's eight years OLDER than you!"

"Oh c'mon Huey, you HAFTA be gay if you don't think she's hot," Riley smacked. Huey just shrugged and rolled his eyes, turning his back towards his stupid younger brother.

"She just reminds me of someone, I guess," Huey pondered outloud, "I dunno... She's just _weird_,"

Suddenly, as if on cue, the door flew open and in walked the very girl they had been speaking of. She was dressed in an oversized tshirt and some shorts, a bundle of stuff in her arms.

"Anybody need anything?" She asked patiently, "I think it's gonna get cold tonight so I brought up some extra blankets and pillows,"

"Sweet!" Riley exclaimed, sitting up in the bed, "Grandad nevah brings us extra stuff! We always gotsta get it!"

She giggled and delicately placed the cotton quilt over the oldest Freeman's, already blanket covered, torso, bringing it up to his chin. This caused surprised and puzzled looks from the boys as she tucked the blanket in all tight around him, giving him pillow a good fluffing. But it wasn't until she lowered her face and placed a sweet little kiss on his forehead, before all of them were left in silent shock.

She did the same for the other two, running a hand over Riley's corn rows, before heading back for the door, "I'll be right next door in the guest room. If anybody needs anything at all, wake me on up. Goodnight boys,"

When the door closed shut, Riley blurted out, "She...she kissed us goodnight,"

Huey looked down at the thick blanket she had tucked him in with, why would she go out of her way to do this? Grandad had the nanny cam stored downstairs... Why was she being extra nice? She had nothing to gain from tucking them in like that.

"Huey! Mom used ta kiss us goodnight, huh?"

"Goodnight, Riley,"

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The next morning, the boys wondered down stairs, droopy eyed and yawning loudly. Rozalina was already wide awake in the kitchen. She was busy sizzling something that smelled quite tastey on the stove.

"Mornin," She smiled gently, shoving whatever she had on the stove onto a plate. Riley got pancakes loaded with syrup, bacon and scrambled eggs. Caesar got waffles with powdered sugar, sausage and a flakey biscuit. Huey was awarded with a plain pop tart, no icing, a cup off black coffee and a hard boiled egg.

"Aw yeah!" Riley exclaimed, going to town on his food.

Rosalina sat down and started eating her own omelet casually, "Hey, you boys wanna do somethin fun today?"

"Like what?" Caesar asked enthusiastically.

"I dunno. We could go clamming, or four wheeling... hell, we could even go frogging if ya want,"

She watched as the three passed eachother puzzled, and concerned looks, "Uh, Rosalina... What the fuck is any of that shit?"

Everyone flinched as they watched the usually bright girl slam down her fork and grab Riley by the arm, "Now I know your Gandpappy taught you better than that, you come with me right now,"

Caesar and Huey exchanged baffled looks as she drug the nervous boy across the house and into the back room. They got up and followed after, ending up in the livingroom where Huey had expected to see Riley with a bar of soap in his mouth... well, he had that sure enough, but he had his arms out spread like he was stuck in a half way finished jumping jack. A book was placed on each hand and he was having to hold them out flat. It looked... painful.

"Now you stay like that for another..." She started, looking at her watch and then glaring back up at him, "Two miutes,"

"Doesn't seem so bad," Caesar mused to Huey lowly. Uppon further inspection, however, Riley's brown face was turning red and purple from just a few seconds.

"And you don't wanna even KNOW what'll happen if you drop them before those two minutes are done, S_hah_,"

Two minutes took about three hours before her watch started to beep. Riley spat the soap out of his mouth at the same time he dropped his arms as heavy as he could. The books made loud bangs when they collided with the floor. Riley was left to breathe hard and lean over, clutching his stomach in agony.

"I don't tolerate that kind of language, young man," Rosalina said thoughtfully but with still enough stern in her voice to lead on that she wasn't backing down. She got on one knee and placed a hand on his back, "I don't know how you act with your grandfather, but when you're with me, you're gonna be a respectable young man, you understand?"

"Uh...uh...uh huh,"

"Good," She smiled, jumping up to her feet, "Now! Let's get dressed and go have some fun!"

Before anyone could inquire what type of games she had mentioned earlier entailed, the doorbell rang. Rosalina answered it immediately, her eyes turning into sparkles at the person on the other side.

"You must be the most precious little thing... I have EVER seen!"

Jazmine stood there, awe struck at the strange looking girl, "Thank you so much!"

"Come on in, sweety! Are you one of Huey and Riley's friends?"

"Uh huh!" Jazmine chirped, walking inside and letting the older woman take her by the hand, "You have pretty hair!"

"Thank you so much! I can style yours if you want me to,"

"Really!? I-"

Jazmine stopped when she noticed the three boys standing at the stair case. A big grin grew on her face and she snickered under her breath. Her snickers soon turned into full out laughter and she pointed a finger at Riley.

"You have bubbles coming out of your mouth, Riley!"

"Shut up!"

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for the record, clamming, crabbing, frogging and four wheeling are all ALOT of fun!

shut up, they are XD

note- "Shah" is cajun word that is equal to things like "Baby" or "Honey" or "Sweetypie" etc. It can also be used to describe something adorable like, "That puppy was SO shah!!" basically, we Louisianaians say it when we see something cute and we just blurt out, "Shah!"

dont read so much into it. OH! and i should ALSO mention that there is no EXACT way to spell it. some spell it Shai, others sha. I think Shah makes it easier to understand how it sounds. Like Shaq... without the Q. Just "ah"


	3. Misery Is Optional

Yey!

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Huey gagged as he made his way down the hall way of his home. They had just got back from "crabbing," everyone else seemed to like it… but not him. Rosalina showed them how to bait their string and toss it over the docks. They'd wait and wait until they'd get a bite. She then showed them how to slowly pull it up inch by inch until the crab surfaced from the water and she'd scoop it up with her net. Easy right?

Not so much.

Huey didn't catch a SINGLE crab! He broke about seven fishing lines and then Riley pushed him the gross water. It was even more annoying that everyone else, including Jazmine caught atleast one stupid crab.

Rosalina boasted as they were heading back to the car with their large bucket of crabs, "These are gonna be delicious! They don't get this big down at home,"

"Isn't this illegal?" Huey asked casually, "I mean… shouldn't we have some sort of license?"

"Hah," Rosalina laughed, "I've been crabbing since I was five; aint never needed some crabbing license,"

"That's cos you live in a place where there's a bunch of them. Here these things aren't so-"

"Stop being so pessimistic," She told him quickly, "It's okay. I promise,"

"Yeah, Huey. Stop hatin," Riley snapped.

Once they got home everyone took a bath (not together u freaks) and Rosalina started getting ready to make crab. Jazmine protested and begged that her crab be spared. Rosalina just smiled at her sympathetically.

"Please don't kill her! Please!" Jazmine had cried.

"Oh no worried, shah," Rosalina smiled, taking the tiny crab out of the container and placing it in a sand bucket. She then handed the little crab to Jazmine and smiled, "She's gonna need a name,"

"Thank you, Rosalina!" Jazmine cheered, hugging the teenager's knees and running off, "I'll come up with a great name for her!"

Huey left the kitchen to go read because, honestly, he couldn't take it anymore. He tried to stay obsorbed in the literature infront of his face but found it was getting harder with all the noise in the house. Riley and Caesar were running around and Jazmine was talking to her damn crab.

With all of that behind him, Huey set down his book and headed through the hallway. He didn't get too far before he noticed the guestroom door wide open. He causally peered inside, noticing his babysitter sitting on her window sill, staring out at the open space around her.

"Grandad doesn't like us to leave the windows open,"

She popped her head to look at him, a smile growing on her face, "Sorry. I'll close it soon. It's just… I've never seen a place like this before,"

"Just a bunch of ignorant filled houses," Huey muttered, walking closer to her. Her smile didn't change.

"You're a proud person, aren't you, Huey?" She asked casually, staring at his face softly, "You're quite different than most of the kids I babysit. You're… so angry,"

"You'd be angry to if your people were persecuted,"

She laughed out loud and shook her head, "So racism is your problem?"

"Heck yes!" Huey snapped, "No one seems to notice how we're the only black people here! Everyone's so wrapped up in their own little world that they don't even care that-"

"Have you ever been personally attacked because of your color, Huey?" She asked, her smile gone but the kindness of her voice remained.

"What?" he seemed taken back by her question, "Yeah… I mean, I live in a place

where-"

"Have you ever been personally attack because of your color?" She asked again.

In his silence he started to think. Had he? Had a white person ever said anything truly degrading towards him? Come to think of it… he supposed not. Sure people underestimated him and overlooked him from time to time but no one did it out of hate or prejudice. People were stupid.

He looked at her face. Her smile had come back during his moment of concentration. She could read the lines in his face to see what the answer was. The sadness in her eyes baffled Huey, however.

"You have?" He asked with slight hurt in his eyes. He watched as her smile became relaxed, and almost sad, solemn in expression but at the same time wise.

She never lost his gaze, trying to be as honest with her stare as possible. She was taking awhile to answer, making Huey figure she was trying to collect her words thoughtfully for his childlike ears.

"People," She finally said after a long pause, "Can sometimes be hurtful for no reason, Huey. But you can't let those people define your opinion of the rest of the world,"

"At Louisiana?"

"No. My problems in Louisiana were the same as yours here," She shook her head, "You see, Huey… I used to live in a place called Troy Alabama,"

"Troy?"

"Mmhmm,"

"Never heard of it,"

"That's because it's a tiny, tiny little racist place. There are plenty of blacks and plenty of whites and they don't know how to interact with eachother… But they don't have any visible hatred that is noticeable,"

"So what's the problem?"

"Religion,"

"What?"

"I was seven when we moved there," Her smile was still there even though her voice was faltering, "I've been a good little Catholic girl since birth… so I made the sign of the cross at lunch before saying grace. Some older boy had seen me do it and later that day during recess… He called me 'Dity Catholic Spic' and punched me in the eye,"

Huey blinked, a bit surprised at what he had been hearing.

"I never met him before. I had no idea what had just happened. Luckily for me, the teachers saw and pulled him into detention. Later… when I was walking home he caught up with me and pushed me down hard on the street and kicked me. My brother saw and chased him away but… I never forgot the way he treated me,"

Huey couldn't say anything. He just looked down at his feet and tried to think of something smart. Nothing came except, "But you're always happy,"

"Misery is optional," She told him with her smile, "I guess I realized that… all of those people who say those stupid ignorant things… are the ones at fault. There's nothing wrong with me so why should I be upset that they don't accept me?"

Huey blinked and looked back at her. She smiled at his thinking expression and stood up. She ruffled his hair a bit and gave him a tiny kiss on his forehead, "You're a bright, honest young boy, Huey. Your heart is in the right place… And you're strong. But… you put people on this pedestal that they can't stay on without stumbling,"

Huey watched as she exited the room, leaving him to think intently on her words. He agreed with her in some areas. He wasn't about to start smiling and be some little happy go lucky school boy, oh no. But he had to ask himself… why was he so angry all the time?

Maybe she wasn't so bad.

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Ahhh!! I talk too much!!

And yes, that story with the bully is true. And it sucked. White supremesists hate any minority not just blacks.

NOTE in Alabama everyone is Baptist. We went to the ONLY Catholic church in the area and it was… SOOOooOoooOooooOOOOooO tiny!! There were about 62 families I think 0o


	4. Family Reunion

This one's kinda sad… but hey, im bored

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Rosalina smiled as she stepped delicately into the bedroom of the boys.They were all sleeping soundly but it didn't stop her on her mission. Riley was snoring loudly, his head had fallen off his pillow and half of his body was hanging out of the bed. Giggling silently, she picked up his tiny body and lay it down gently in the center of the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin and placing another blanket on top to keep him snug.

She tiptoed over to Caesar and brushed the hair out of his eyes before placing a little kiss on his head and tucking him in. When she made her way to Huey, she noticed he was sleeping flat on his back. Odd for a child.

His brow was furrowed, as it always was. Poor kid.

Gently, she reached out her hand and gently made the sign of the cross on his forehead and kissed it, saying a silent prayer for him before turning to the dresser.

She had went in there to put up some clean clothes but brought up some blankets for them, again. She didn't realize that her touchings caused the older Freeman to stir. The feeling of her thumb running over his head vertically and then over it again horizontally made his eyes slowly slit open. The feeling felt so ancient... but familiar

He turned his head to see a young woman messing with his dresser.

"Mom...?" His voice was dripping the sleepiness but desperation. Rosalina jumped slightly, turning her head slowly and blinking in confusion, but sadness.

"Huey?"

His eyes popped open with realization; he blinked a few times himself as the picture came into view, his eyes fully adjusted to the dark. He could see that it was just his babysitter. Her hair was pulled back and she was wearing a strapless shirt, a scar visible on her upper shoulder.

"Oh... Sorry,"

"Oh no. I'm sorry, Shah. I didn't mean to wake you," She spoke in hushed whispers, "Just bringing you some clean clothes,"

"I think I'm wide awake now," Huey stated, sitting up in his bed. For some reason he always had trouble going back to sleep whenever he was prematurely awoken.

"Oh. Well, then, how's about I whip us up a midnight snack?"

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Huey found himself sitting on his roof with a blanket wrapped tightly around him. He was sitting next to Rosalina who was also sporting the blanket wrap. Both had steaming cups of some orange liquid, that Huey had never seen before.

"What is it?"

"Spice tea. My Momma made it for me whenever I had trouble sleeping," Rosalina smiled, "Or when I was sad,"

"Oh," Huey muttered, the drink smelled like citrus and cinnomin. He took a careful sip... it was sweet. Very sweet... but soothing in a way. A sudden taste struck his mouth, making his tongue recoil. He put the mug down and wiped his lips, "What's in this?"

A smile played on her lips, "Tang, cinnamon, sugar... and Amaretta,"

"Amer...How ya gonna give a kid liquor?"

"It's a tiny, tiny bit," Rosalina gestured with her thumb and index finger how tiny it was, laughing a little, "It wont hurt you. I promise. It'll help you sleep, honest. My momma wouldn't gimmie something that'd mess me up,"

Huey waited until he saw her take a sip of her own drink, keeping her eyes closed and relishing the warmth in her mouth. He wasn't sure how it happened, but it was if it just blurted out of him, un able to stop himself, he just said

"My Mom's dead,"

Her eyes popped open. He had said it so casually, almost as if he was saying _The sky is blue._ It rung in her ears, hurting her deeply as she cleared her throat and set her mug down on her knees, and giving her most honest look as she waited to say something to reply.

Huey bit the inside of his mouth. He did not want to hear another, "I'm sorry,". He hated it when people said, "I'm sorry," about his mother's death. It wasn't THEIR fault she was dead. How could they say that they were sorry? They didn't feel the pain he did from losing her. They didn't fall asleep wondering how they could make it through the next day. They didn't know so how could they be sorry?

"I'm sorry," She said clearly, making Huey's anger swell.

"You didn't kill her," He muttered, glaring into his cup, "How can you be sorry?"

"Because I know what it's like to lose someone you love," She smiled sadly, "He wasn't my mom... but... I really loved him... And he loved me,"

Huey's eyes rose to stare at her, wondering the story behind it, but he was really hoping she wouldn't ask about the story behind his mom so… if he didn't wanna tell then she probably didn't either. He blinked twice, were those tears in her eyes? She lifted her arm up and wrapped it around him, pulling him into her side so she could hug him. She placed a hand on his head and sighed deeply.

"I'm... sorry,"

"It's okay," She smiled gently, opening her eyes slowly and looking out. It was strange. Huey hated to be touched... but for some reason... being in her embrace made him feel secure. It also reminded him of his mother... and how much he really missed her.

"Rosalina? You believe in angels, right?" He asked carefully, "Do you think my mom's an angel?"

"No, shah,"

His head snapped up to stare up at her. She had her gaze up at the brilliant stars above her, "No?"

"You don't become an angel in heaven, Huey," she explained, "When you die you are freed from your body and you go to heaven as a perfect spirit. Angels are servants of the lord. They help him get us to heaven,"

There was a pause as Huey deliberated what she was saying. He felt her squeeze him gently as she continued, "But sometimes, people act as angels and help us get to heaven, too. Kinda like how your Grandad makes you say grace at supper,"

"So... My mom is..."

"Probably telling your guardian angel off for all the bruises and scraped knees you ever got," Rosalina smiled, giving him an honest look, "But you should know this, Huey Freeman, even though you her body gave out, her love wont never go away. People die, Huey, but the love they had for us is eternal and it will last even longer than when you, yourself die.

"She's watching you and can't wait to see you again. She misses you _just _as much as you miss her,"

"How can someone be sad in heaven if everyone says it's such a perfect place?" His words were almost mocking, but her tone was never changing.

"She's not sad, Huey, cos she knows she'll be with you again and she's taking care of you everyday," Rosalina explained, "Would you... like to speak with her, Huey?"

He popped his eyebrow up questioningly, "How?"

"I'm Catholic, Huey," she smiled knowingly, "Praying doesn't equal worship,"

OOoooOOooOOOooOO

Rosalina had awoken all of the kids, tossed them in some coats and drove them all over to the big church in town. No one was too happy with the arrangement, but she promised they could sleep in the chapel if they needed to. They wouldn't get in trouble for it.

"It's 12:45 at night," Huey pointed out, "The doors are probably locked,"

But to everyone's surprise, the door opened with ease as Rosalina tugged on them and proudly strutted inside. The kids followed, a bit confused by the whole thing.

The large room was built like a gothic cathedral and was obviously very old. The smell of oil and incense hinting the cold noses and the dimly lit areas were slightly creepy. It was if there were some presence in the room as they copied Rosalina dipping her hand into the holy water and making the sign of the cross, the excess water running off her forehead.

She lead them to the center pew and genuflected before the alter and slid in. The children repeated, not really sure what they were doing. It wasn't until she pulled down a beam of wood from under the row in front of them that they really got confused. She placed her knees down on the beam and tucked her head. No one else kneeled.

Huey's eyes traced around the room, not sure of what to make of all the statues and elaborate stained glass windows. The gold box on the alter puzzled him, however.

"Look," Caesar whispered, pointing at a statue Huey was shocked he had missed. It was... Jesus. He was crucified. He was right there hanging from the ceiling on a wooden cross. It was an eye opener. Sure, Huey knew what had happened to ol' JC but.. it was so in your face. The blood running down his wrists and feet. The crown of thorns leaving pin thin trails of blood over his pained face. The bible didn't do the image justice.

"C'mon, Huey," Rosalina whispered to him, taking him to the front of the room before a small table full of blue and red glass covered candles.

"What is this?" He asked curiously. She dropped to her knees on the cushioned board before the table and he followed suit.

"We light a candle and pray as it burns,"

"Pray?"

"You can speak to your mother this way," She explained. Noticing his uneasy face, he tried to do what he had seen in movies and magazines and such. He awkwardly folded his hands together and tried to prop his elbows up to rest on the table. He looked so very awkward. She chuckled, "You don't have to do that. Praying involves no particular position… just talk,"

He didn't understand. It was obvious by his facial expression and posture. Taking a hint she leaned in, "Kay. I'll go first," He watched as she took a long, elegant match, dipping it into a blue cup, letting it touch the clear candle's fire. It ignited and she then trailed it over to a red candle, dropping it just as slowly to let it light. Once it was burning, she made the sign of the cross and dipped her head.

"Craig… sorry it's been awhile since we've had a chance to talk," She started slowly, "How ya been? You'd think I would have gotten used to you being gone by now. Heh. I don't think it's funny that you keep running me into your mother but she's always happy to see me so I guess it's okay. I got a little boy here, Craig, who really misses his mom. Now, I know you're new to the joint but if ya could, let her know how much he misses her. Thanks,"

Huey had watched her the whole time. She stopped her prayer and smiled at Huey who suddenly felt like he was in the hot seat. She handed him a match and nodded her head gently. He sighed, figuring he was in too deep to back at out now, and let his match light before letting that fire light another candle.

"You don't have to do it outloud," Rosalina added quickly, "If you feel more comfortable just thinking it, it's okay,"

Huey sighed and looked up at the ceiling. So many beautiful stone and bricks coming together. How could they keep a place full of such expensive things open 24/7? There were no police. No Guards! No anything. It just seemed so odd. He'd ask her about it later… now was time for his mother.

"Uh… Mom…" He started shakily, "I… I'm sorry I couldn't help you… but if Rosalina's right then… you're okay now, right? Uh… Riley misses you, and he's still annoying. Grandad's doing okay… he still eats way too much pork, though and…"

Rosalina smiled as his gaze fell on her, almost not sure what else to say. She nodded and he turned back to look at the ceiling.

"I'm trying really hard to make the world a better place… it's hard though,"

"You can ask her for help, Huey," Rosalina muttered.

"Mom could you help me… Oh! This is dumb!" Huey snapped, still speaking in whispers. He stood up and stormed off down the aisle, passing each row of pews and not stopping until he had nearly reached the exit, where he was stopped by a tall figure dressed in black, stumbling out of a door from the wall.

"Who's there?"

Huey stumbled back, a bit uneasy of a man popping out of the wall.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Father," Rosalina exclaimed, speed walking over to them, "I was just…"

"Rosalina, what on earth are doing up at this hour?" The priest asked in shock. His eyes widened at the sight of the other children, all just waking up and ushering themselves wobbly out of their pew, "Are they all with you?"

"Uh… yessir," She muttered quickly, "We won't be much longer. Sorry to have woken you, Fr. Dean,"

"It's all good and well, my dear," The old wrinkled man replied. Huey surveyed him quickly. He was portly and round, balding at the top of his head, but he withered face was pleasant and friendly. Must have been a Catholic thing, "Just be careful wondering about the streets at this hour, especially with these little cherubs with you,"

Caesar and Riley gave each other glances where as Jazmine giggled and nodded assent.

"Yes sir. Thank you," Rosalina said quickly, watching the man leave the chapel to go back to sleep in his quarters. Rosalina heaved a breath of relief and smiled at Huey happily who just continued walking out the door. She took hold of the other kids and helped them all outside, not forgetting to genuflect on her way out.

Huey stopped one last time to glance at the crucifix. Such a horrible way to die…

And all for a belief too.

Hm. Jesus was a revolutionary, he supposed.

OOoOOOoooOOOoOO

"Rosalina?"

"Yes?"

They were driving back with Huey riding shotgun and the other children dozing peacefully in the back. Rosalina had her eyes fixated on the road, the rain pittering on the windshield and the wipers pulling them off to keep her from losing her vision completely.

"Aren't they afraid someone will steal something in there?"

"What?"

"The church. Why don't they have like… people to guard all that stuff. I mean, I know there's plenty of people who'd steal that big gold box in there and wouldn't even care about what it was or where it came from. People with no moral stature,"

"Well, Huey," Rosalina shrugged, "No uniforms are allowed inside the church. That was established many, many years ago when the church was considered a place of rest and safety. Knights and soldiers were forbade entry when they were on duty. They had to remove their armor or go home. The rule kinda followed down to now- the Vatican frowns upon police officers walking about inside in their uniforms but it isn't such a strict rule,"

"But don't they care about their stuff being stolen?"

"Sure they care," Rosalina shrugged, "But the only thing they would probably freak out about would probably be the tabernacle… but that's only if they took what was inside, too. Most thieves wouldn't want a bowl of flat bread,"

It was all Greek to Huey, but he was too tired to ask any questions. He was grateful that she wasn't lecturing him about running out in the middle of a prayer, but he supposed that she was a real Christian and not the, "YO GOIN TA HELL COS YA DON'T BELIEVE THE SAME STUFF I DO!!" type Christian.

Setting his head on the window, he looked up at the stars. Everything was getting to be far too confusing for him. He just…needed to sleep.

OOoOOOoooOOOoOOOoOOOoOOOoooOOOoOOOoOOOoOOOoooOOOoOOOoOOOoooOO

Ahh! Talk about spiritual! XD again, I talk too much.

Oh yeah- everything that Rosalina says about the Catholic church is 100 pure Catholic doctrine and dogma. I made sure to check myself before posting it (which is why this chapter took awhile) I had to reread it all in the catechism so if ur Catholic and don't believe this…well… u can put bunny ears on a snake but that aint gonna make it give u easter eggs, now will it?

XD hope it wasn't too preachy. This is all just what I find to be true… bugs you? Well, u can do w/e u want. U don't have to listen to a fanfic (in fact… if u do then I suggest immediate therapeutic attention) 


	5. Unanswered

Huey woke up with a start Sunday morning. Riley was not in his bed, odd. He rubbed his eyes and hopped out of bed. It was Rosalina's last day there and he was determined to figure out what happened to this Craig person.

Caesar and Jazmine weren't there either… they must have been went home early. It felt strange. He was usually the first one awake.

Turning around the railing of the stairs, he padded into the kitchen where he stopped suddenly. Instead of being faced with a tastely dressed back side of a young woman, he was met with the wrinkled brown face of his grandfather, sitting at the table, reading a newspaper.

"Huey!" He exclaimed happily, "Good morning, sleepy head,"

"What are you doing back?"

"Well… Missed you too, Son," Grandad chuckled, getting up and giving him a light hug, "Want some breakfast? I made bacon,"

"Where's Rosalina?" Huey wanted to know, "Is she packing or…"

"I'm sorry, boy," Grandad shrugged, "She left when I got here,"

"She's…. gone?"

"Riley was pretty shooken up by it when he woke up, too," Grandad muttered, "I'm just surprised yall aint dead… and she was okay, too,"

"She just left?" Huey seemed pretty sad, "But… I wanted to talk to her before she went home,"

"Oh… Wait a minute," Grandad snapped his fingers and walked over to the kitchen counter. He picked up a little envelope and handed it to him, "She left this for ya,"

Huey's eyes were a bit puzzled as he took the white paper covered note from his elder and stared down at the item that stuck out boldly in his dark hand. He carefully tore the flap off and took out the delicate paper. It wasn't anything special. Just notebook paper with words scribbled on not too perfectly with a black pen.

Huey,

I wanted to wake yall but I figured you were still pretty tired from last night. I'm sorry for making you feel pressured, but that was never my intention. It's important that you find a way to communicate with your grief in a healthy way, but you need to discover what way is best for you. Your voice is still louder than the wisest of scholars. Don't be afraid to love, Huey. There are so many in your life who haven't given up on you, so don't give up on any of them. We all need room to stumble. Help them up, but don't shove them into place.

Again, I apologize for leaving so suddenly, but, I'm going to Woodcrest U this fall so, I'll be sure to come visit.

With Love,

Rosalina Garza 3

PS- Take good care of Riley. He looks up to you more than you know.

Huey sighed as he lowered the note to his side. Looking back up at his grandfather, "Grandad, we got her number still?"

"Boy, you aint gonna call that girl and talk her ear off bout no stupid politics,"

"Grandad, this is serious,"

Riley dragged himself into the room, his eyes were puffy and his face was pouted. He rubbed his brown orbs and groaned a little bit.

"What'chyall makin all dat noise fer?" He muttered drowsily.

"Yo brother wants to call Rosalina," Grandad snipped.

"Grandad, why can't she stay here with us?" Huey offered, "This fall, can't she stay and be a… I don't know… full time nanny?"

"A nanny?"

"Yeah!" Riley jumped, "You'd love her, Grandad! She… She got mad cookin skillz! An' an' there's a good chance I'll stop cussin' fer good if she stay here,"

Grandad shook his head indignantly and just fluffed Huey's head as he walked casually by, "She'll visit when she comes back up here for college. Don't be needy, boy,"

Huey looked at Riley, who looked right back at him. It came clear to Huey that they were trying to peg their desires for a mother onto her. Was that fair? No… probably not. But, that didn't mean they weren't in need of one, right? She gave hugs and kisses out so easily and willingly. She seemed like the type of girl to kiss booboos and help out with school projects.

She took care into the food she made, trying to match the correct foods with the individuals tastes. Everything she did, she did out of love. It was addictive and hard to not long for more of it. Even her smile was something that was hard to get out of his head. She had that patient smile that his mother had.

That is what made her leaving kinda hard. It was so easy for her. She had tons of people in her life that loved her. A big family waiting for her back at home, and a billion kids to babysit. She didn't need them… but Huey couldn't help but feel they needed her.

He was being left alone all over again.

"I'm gon' miss her," Riley muttered to himself, "Think she'll miss us?"

"She has a huge family and she babysits a billion kids," Huey snapped, "What do _you_ think?"

Riley's eyes welled up, tears threatening to spill. Sheesh. Anything made him cry. He was such a baby, sometimes.

"Stop cryin, _baby_," Huey told him, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking up the stairs to get dressed, "No wonder she left- you're so annoying,"

"Whatever!" Riley barked, running after him, "She left cos you a gay ass little boy! Prolly ran outta here when Grandad got back! Always makin her talk to ya bout stupid stuff! Bored her outta her mind!"

"Oh! And I'm sure she loves watching kids who wanna be thugs and cuss like sailors even when they don't even know what half the words they say mean!"

With that last hurtfilled comment shouted, Huey trudged up the stairs. He was about to storm off into his bedroom, but stopped. Riley was probably going there soon, too. He didn't feel like starting the bicker off again, so, he went into the guest room.

It was bare. Everything Rosalina had brought was gone. As if she was never there. Huey sighed and went over to the window sill, taking a seat where she did. He gave the outside a good look. Hm. If you looked beyond all of the communist type styled houses, one could see the many trees and mountains in the distance. Had those always been there?

A glint caught his eye, turning his attention to the floor. There, resting on the carpet was a small photo. He delicately picked it up, his eyes widening a bit. It was a picture of Rosalina. She was sporting her big toothy smile, crammed into the photo with a little boy. He couldn't have been a day older than twelve. He was dark brown in color and had a buzz cut.

Something seemed… odd with him, though.

Huey stared at the picture, until it hit him. The boy in the picture didn't have a buzz cut… he was a chemo patient. He… he was sick.

He turned the picture over, "Rosalina Garza, Craig McCollins, 2005,"

A sick feeling came to his stomach. The whole story coming to him like a prophecy. She was his sitter and he got the cancer. After everyone found out, she would visit him very often in the hospital. She cared and loved him.

What caused such devotion?

Did he have a mother?

Was he all alone, too?

How long did it take for her to get over such a fatal blow?

Staring at the photo, Huey felt his grip go slack and loosen on the shiney paper. She would probably really miss this picture. It could be the only picture she had left of him. He took it to his room with haste and opened up his top dresser.

He set the picture down under a pair of pajamas, right next to the crumbled up photo of his mother.

He'd make sure she'd get it next fall and then, he'd get some of his questions answered. He swallowed hard and looked up at his ceiling.

"Mom…? Take care of Craig, okay? I'll be okay… but I think Rosalina would like you to watch him while she's… not able to, okay?"

OooOOOooOOOooOOOooOOOOoooOOOOoooOOOOOoooOOOOOoooOOOooOOO

XD awww! Huey!!! I so love Huey… but not in a creepy way

Uh… idk if im gonna do another chapter for this. But I kinda like this endning.

Craig McCollins was a boy I babysat for many years, he had a mom but she died when he was really little. He lived with his grandmother and he just called her mom, she wasn't really THERE enough to take care of him so he was taken care of by the state but since he stayed in the parish, he got to go to the community center, which is where I volunteer teaching acting.

Anyway, he was one of my fave students, very sweet, very, very smart. Well, one day we found out he had cancer. They caught it late, but they still put him through chemo and all that. It was horrible. He died, peacefully, in his sleep at 12 about three years ago.


End file.
